Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/34

Hatton MS.] GREGORY'S PASTORAL. hit se ege his agenra unðeawa, & befæste he mid his lifes bisenum ða lare ðæm ðe his wordum ne geliefen ; & ðonne he gód weorc wyrce, gemyne he ðæs yfeles ðe he worhte, ðette sio únrótnes, ðe he for ðæm yflan weorcum hæbbe, gemetgige ðone gefean ðe he for ðæm godan weorcum hæfde; ðylæs he beforan ðæs dieglan deman eagum sie áhafen on his mode & on ofermettum aðunden, & ðonne ðurh ðæt selflice his godan weorc forleose. Ac monige sindon me suiðe ónlice ón úngelærednesse, ðeah ðe hi næfre leorningcnihtas næren, wilniað ðeah lareowas to beonne, & ðyncet him suiðe leoht sio byrðen ðæs lareowdomes, forðonðe hi ne cunnon ðæt mægen his micelnesse. From ðære dura selfre ðisse béc, ðæt is from onginne ðisse spræce, sint adrifene & getælde ða únwaran, ðe him agniat ðone cræft ðæs lareowdomes ðe hi na ne geleornodon.

I. Đætte unlærde ne dyrren underfón lareowdóm.

Forðonðe nan cræft nis to læranne ðæm ðe hine ær geornlice ne leornode, forhwon beoð æfre suæ ðriste ða ungelæredan ðæt hi underfón ða heorde ðæs lariowdomes, ðonne se cræft ðæs lareowdomes bið cræft ealra cræfta? Hua nát ðæt [ða] wunda ðæs modes bioð digelran ðonne ða wunda ðæs lichaman? & ðeah ða woroldlecan læcas scomaþ ðæt hi ong[i]nnen ða wunda lacnian ðe hi gesion ne magon, & huru gif hi nouðer gecnawan ne cunnan ne ða medtrymnesse ne eac ða wyrta ðe ðærwið sculon. & hwilon ne scomað ða ðe ðæs modes læceas beon scoldon, ðeah ðe hi nane wuht ongitan ne cunnon

I. That the unlearned are not to presume to undertake the office of teacher. Since no art can be taught by him who has not diligently learnt it before, why are the unlearned ever so rash as to undertake the care of teaching, when the art of teaching is the art of all arts ? Who does not know that the wounds of the mind are more obscure than the wounds of the body ? And yet worldly physicians are ashamed of undertaking to cure wounds which they cannot see, especially if they neither understand the disease nor the herbs which are to be employed. And sometimes those who are to be physicians of the mind, although they cannot understand anything of the spi- ritual precepts, are not ashamed of taking upon themselves to be phy-